


How To Start A New Life

by 4Jean_Drake7



Series: The Crank Palace [1]
Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Author's Favorite, Bisexual Thomas (Maze Runner), Depressed Thomas, Gay Newt (Maze Runner), M/M, Minho Ships It, Page 152 (Maze Runner) Rewrite, Page 250 (Maze Runner) Rewrite, Safe Haven, Safe Haven (Maze Runner), The Author Regrets Nothing, The Crank Palace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:55:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28571106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4Jean_Drake7/pseuds/4Jean_Drake7
Summary: Newt has been to hell and back with his friends.The Glade. The Maze. The Scorch. The inner halls of WICKED. But now he has a burden that can't be shared with Thomas and the others- the Flare.He watches as his life takes a turn for the worst while escaping the Crank Palace and making the only person that comforted him through everything, Keisha, leave him.He had thought that when Thomas had pulled the trigger on the gun he forced to his forehead, he would finally get peace.Oh how wrong he was.Disclaimer: If you haven't read The Crank Palace,DO NOT READ THIS!!!Major spoilers.This is a rewrite of page 152
Relationships: Minho & Thomas (Maze Runner), Newt & Thomas (Maze Runner), Newt/Thomas (Maze Runner)
Series: The Crank Palace [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2092518
Comments: 11
Kudos: 35





	How To Start A New Life

**Author's Note:**

> This is your last chance to back out you who haven't read The Crank Palace.
> 
> Oh and even though this is mostly the book plot, and not the movie plot, Minho knows that Thomas was forced to kill Newt.
> 
> But he's not mad.

"Newt."

A woman's voice. Softly spoken, directly into his ear. He immediately thought of angels and heaven, wondered if he was about to find out some very good news about the afterlife.

The angel continued. "Newt, I hope you can hear me. I'm glad to say your vitals are improving. But we don't have much time. We used every power at our disposal to save you. We barely succeeded, but you pulled through."

He tried to speak, but it was clear such a thing wouldn't happen for a long time. Why was this woman speaking to him? Who was it? Why had they tried to save him? Despite slipping between unconsciousness and consciousness, he remembered Keisha. Dante. Jackie. He smiled, if only in his foggy mind.

The voice again.

"Newt, listen to me. There are things you need to know. Sonya is your sister, and she's alive. She's in the Safe Haven with Thomas."

Newt had a hard time thinking straight. Harder than ever. Thoughts had ceased to form in any coherent manner. But he was aware of the rush of feeling that spread through his heart. Sonya was alive. Sonya was alive. And so was Tommy. The joy was matched only by his sadness as he thought of what he was doing there in the first place. He made Tommy shoot him. In the head. 

Dread starting to fill his chest.

The angel spoke again.

"Newt, I know you think that your life wasn't as important as the rest, that somehow you were a waste because you thought you weren't immune." He heard a rumble of frantic noises that had no shape, but it ended with something like a whimper from the woman before she continued. "Oh, Newt, I'm so sorry. Just know this- you're immune too. We used the chip implanted in your brain to make you act like you were going crazy. We had to tell you you weren't immune to see how both you, and Thomas would react. And then when Thomas was forced to shoot you, we got the information we needed. We have a chance at the cure, and it's all because of you. I'm sorry we had to keep that a secret, but it was the only way we could succeed."

Newt couldn't fully process everything she said. He thought he was supposed to die a Crank. That was the entire point of his life. To just be an expandable variable in W.I.C.K.E.D's Trials. He had convinced himself that he wasn't important. Confusion swelled in his brain, his thoughts spinning as the dark started to take over more.

The angel spoke one last time.

"I have your journal, Newt. And I'm sending it with you. If it's my last act on this God-forsaken planet, I'll get you to Thomas. You deserve a second chance more than anyone else. I swear it."

_Tommy_ , Newt thought. _I'm going to see Tommy again._

And then the darkness took hold of him.

* * *

Final WICKED Memorandum, Date 232.4.10, Time 12:45

TO: My Associates

FROM: Ava Paige, Chancellor

RE: A new beginning

And so, we have succeeded.

Our original vision didn't come to fruition; the blueprint never came together. However, we were able to discover a vaccine for the Flare. I had not anticipated this outcome. When we activated Phase 2, I had Janson tell Subject A5 that he was not immune. We used a chip in his brain to make him act like he was succumbing to the Flare. Due to the subject believing he was not immune, it was easier to get the information we needed.

Only when we had to push Subject A2 to kill Subject A5, did we get everything we needed to complete the blueprint. I do not know why it triggered it, but I will continue studying the subject's brain patterns until I know why.

Originally our co-workers wanted to get more ruthless with the tests, push them even harder, but I could not bring myself to do so. Everyone had been pushed past their limits. 

Subject A5 is being treated from a bullet to the head. When we manage to get him stable enough, we'll be sending him to live with the other immunes in the Safe Haven. Based on the data of his healing patterns, he should be healed soon.

My wish is to give the immunes a peaceful life. They deserve it, after all we've put them through. But still I believe, WICKED is good.

* * *

Thomas hadn't been eating for a week. It was worrying Minho more than anyone else. He already lost one friend. He couldn't afford to lose another.

"Thomas, you NEED to eat something. Ple-"

"No!" Thomas screamed hoarsely, his voice breaking due to lack of much needed water. His face was getting hollower by the day, he had bags under his eyes, and he looked like he just survived an earthquake. Minho couldn't blame him. Though he was suspicious when Thomas always cut him off on one particular word.

_ Please. _

Minho didn't know why, but he didn't want to ask. It would probably cause a painful memory for his friend, and right now that was the last thing he needed.

Solemnly, Minho set the bowl of Frypan's soup down on a small wooden stump and sighed heavily. It's been a tough week for everyone. Since the Trials were done, they didn't have much to 

do except build themselves a home and grieve over the loss of their friends.

Thomas took it the hardest. When he told Minho what he'd done to Newt, Minho swore he's never seen Thomas look so broken before, not even when he was trying to process Teresa's sacrifice. His brown eyes looked like shattered glass, and he looked like he was in so much pain, Minho had to look away.

"Do you ever wish it would've been you?" Thomas suddenly asked, not looking up from his hands that were fiddling with a blue brunnera. 

"What?"

"Do you ever wish you were the ones that died along the way? Ever envisioned yourself being eaten by a griever, maybe zapped by lightning, hell, been the one Gally shot?" Thomas continued, his voice barely above a whisper. Silent tears rolled down his cheek as he examined the flower in his hand.

"Thomas-"

"Or shot in the head."

That was enough to make the two go silent for a while. They both knew what he was referring to, and Minho didn't like it. Not one bit. It was hard enough to live with the fact Newt died with a bullet in his head, his empty body left for the Cranks. He didn't want to imagine Thomas in the same position.

"Thomas, listen to me. You need to stop. Stop blaming yourself over everyone's death. They all knew what they were getting into when they followed you out of the Maze. We all knew we weren't all going to make it. But we're here. We're safe, because those that died fought for us to get here. So yes, it will be tough, but you have to move on."

"But he died because of me."

"He wanted to." Was Minho's reply. But it hurt. It hurt so shucking much for Minho to say that. His best friend, the one who jumped off the wall, the one who kept everyone together until the very end, the strongest of them all, was gone. He knew it would be tough to live without Newt, but it still pained him to even think about it.

Minho expected Thomas to snap at him, to tell him to shuck off or go into a rant about how he could have saved him. Instead more tears ran down his face, his lips quivering and his eyes breaking even more. The asian watched as Thomas tucked his head in the folds of his arms and legs, his whole body shaking in grief.

Minho's eyes softened as he listened to his best friend strangle back his sobs, his breathing becoming irregular and soft gasps of pain leaving his lips. He knew he had to leave his friend again. 

Walking out of the temporary hut was rather difficult for him. He wanted to comfort Thomas, let him know that he was still here, still alive, still breathing. But he knew it wasn't the same. Of all the people in the world that Thomas could have chosen to love, it was the one who wasn't immune.

* * *

Another week passed by, and Minho was basically shoving food and water down Thomas's throat to keep him alive. He knew it would take awhile to get the brunette back on his feet, but it still pained him to see Thomas always looking distant, always looking sick.

His face looked worse than ever before. His cheeks were hollowed out even more, his eyes looked like Gally had punched him twice under each one, his frame was getting dangerously thin, and Minho had caught him shaking uncontrollably at times he should be fine. To say Minho was concerned would be an understatement. He could still hear Thomas's screams when he wakes up every night. He assumes it's always the same nightmare of Newt's last night.

However, today had gone better than most. Minho had kept Thomas under his watch 24/7 as he helped some of the builders making permanent huts for the immunes. Every time he had side eyed the brunette, he had a stick in his hand and was drawing in the dirt with it, and he could sometimes hear Thomas murmer something under his breath.

As the morning drifted into the afternoon, and the afternoon quickly faded into the evening, Minho and the builders had managed to build three new sturdy huts to live in. When the asian went to tell Thomas it was time to retreat, he had found the stump empty. His heart started to race then and there, and his adrenaline was back online, ready to run.

Before going to do so, he took a curious glance at the drawing Thomas had been working on all day. He could feel his throat close up as he looked at the picture. 

It was of Newt.

Of course it was.

He shouldn't be surprised.

Yet he was.

Fear bubbled in his chest as his legs kicked into gear, fire burning in his ears as he called out for his friend. Everything was a blur as he ran around the beach, weaving in between huts, occasionally bumping into people. 

"Thomas!" Minho shouted repeatedly, every 20 seconds. Desperation filled his voice as the sun  began to slip past the mountains in the distance, and he could feel his legs burn.

He didn't know how long he had been running, looking for Thomas, but by the time has able to find the teen, the sun had fully slipped by and stars started to appear.

He found Thomas behind a mountain, near a cave by the beach. The wind tousled his hair in many directions, his clothes were flapping in the cold air, and he was staring blankly at the ocean waves that overlapped one another.

"Thomas?" Minho asked, trying to get his friend's attention.

Thomas's head snapped up from staring at the horizon, to looking at Minho. Although it was rather dark outside, Minho knew those eyes were staring at him with an overwhelming sadness in them. He was lost, and afraid, and both of them didn't know if he would be able to get past what he's been through.

"He's never coming back." Was Thomas's reply. 

Minho swore his heart cracked. "I know."

"Why wasn't it me?"

"Because we needed you to lead us here. Without you we would not have made it to the Safe Haven."

"Newt could have made sure everyone made it." Thomas said bitterly, turning his attention back to the waves.

"You know that's not true."

"He was always smarter than everyone else."

"I know."

"And braver."

"Thomas."

The brunette looked back up at his friend. Minho could see the glimmer of tears on his cheeks.

"If he were here, right now, what do you think he would tell you?"

A small smile formed on Thomas's lips. 

"He would tell me I'm being a bloody fool."

"That's right. You're being a slinthead. You need to get your head out of every reality you can come up with, and bring your focus on the real world. We need you. And we can't have your help until you stop grieving, and just live with your mistakes."

Thomas heaved a heavy sigh before nodding to himself. "Alright."

"Now come on, you really need sleep."

Minho couldn't remember the last time he's heard Thomas laugh a genuine laugh. Definitely before the Crank Palace, and maybe even before the Scorch. But it was certainly good to hear it.

As the duo headed back to camp, Minho couldn't help but check in on Thomas every other minute, just to make sure that he was really next to him.

The farther they went, the more Thomas slacked in simple walking. He was in desperate need for a good night's sleep, so Minho was relieved when he could see the first of the huts in view. By then he was basically dragging Thomas to the campground, so when he finally got to their shared hut, he literally dropped Thomas on his mattress.

Minho was ready to go to bed as well, except he still had some extra energy he needed to shake off, so he decided to go for a small run and check in on everyone.

The wind had died down somewhere on their walk, so it was a rather peaceful night. He could smell the faint scent of salt from the beach as he slowly made his way through the maze of huts, being cautious of anything that could make too much noise.

And then the weirdest thing happened.

When Minho took a glance at the shards of the hut where they took the Flat Trans to the Safe Haven had been destroyed, he was rather surprised to find a gleam of silver sitting in front of the wooden planks.

Cautiously, Minho jogged up to the tiny figure, trying his very best to be aware of his surroundings the closer he got.

The last thing he expected to see was his best friend, lying peacefully on what looked like a hospital bed.

* * *

Newt didn't know where he was, but he felt safe. The smell of salt filled his senses, and the distant sound of waves mixed with the sound of people fussing over him filled his ears and echoed in his mind. He couldn't make out any words, as they seemed to blur together, preventing him from trying to eavesdrop on his surroundings.

Eventually the sound of waves was the only thing left, and he felt tired. His mind told him it must be nighttime where he is, and he was able to convince himself to actually sleep.

There was only one problem.

Nightmares.

Watching Maria jump into the fire, screaming the word purple as her flesh started to burn, charred skin still bleeding, her gray hair looking like it was chopped off at different angles every few strands, was the least frightening thing he had dreamt of.

Yelling at Thomas to get away from him, and seeing the look of hurt on his face would always torture him no matter what. It was one of the things he regretted most in his life.

And his last moments with Tommy, screaming at him to kill him, begging his best friend to shoot him in the head, while at the same time grasping for small strands of his sanity. He was so willing to die, and he secretly wished he was still dead.

Explaining his limp, was one of the worst things he could have done at the time. Getting the one he secretly loved to kill him, but explaining that he had attempted to die before, it was probably too much on Thomas. But he can't rewind time, so he was stuck with the consequences.

Reliving past moments of his life with Sonya, Tommy, and the others before the maze was just the icing on top. There were good moments, and there were bad. But he hated them all equally.

He watched as both his parents died in front of him, his mother with eyes wide open and his father collapsing on the floor. He remembered it had snowed that day. He couldn't remember if it was the last time he had seen snow or not, but either way it still hurt him all the same.

He remembered watching a woman at their front door asking his father for food. Her brown hair had been scratched out in some areas, dried blood covering those parts of her skull, her eyes wild and crazy, like a racoon, and her skin looking dried out and patches of it missing.

But he also remembered a few moments in the Maze, when he was about to jump off the wall, when he and Minho started hanging around one another even more, the day he had earned Alby's respect, and the day Thomas showed up.

It was all too much for him.

He was relieved when he discovered he could open his eyes.

The first thing he saw was a ceiling made of wood. It was a little blurry, but given some time it was able to form a better shape. When he managed to pull his upper torso off the bed, the next thing he noticed was a sleeping Thomas.

Tommy's brown hair looked like he hadn't showered in weeks, and his eyes had two large black bags sagging under them. His cheekbones were painfully prominent, and after further study, he noticed that he was seriously lacking in weight.

Tears sprang to Newt's eyes as he looked at the boy he loved so dearly. It hurt him to know that Thomas had been this affected by everything.

Newt used one of his thumbs to rub Thomas's hand, causing the brunette to groan before slowly waking up. His eyes were still closed when he sat up in the chair he was sitting in, and he yawned before revealing his honey brown eyes, looking directly at Newt.

Thomas froze.

Newt smiled softly.

"Hey Tommy, it's been a while."

**Author's Note:**

> I hope everyone enjoyed this.
> 
> Yes, I've already read The Crank Palace.
> 
> Yes, I cried every 10 pages.
> 
> And yes, I was so angry with James Dashner for giving me hope Newt survived, only to take it away in less than 3 pages.


End file.
